Game Face
by Chounette
Summary: [SPD] Bridge Carson hates lying, but that is what he has been doing for months, just to keep appearances up. BridgeSyd. [One shot]


**Title:** Game Face  
**Fandom:** Power Rangers SPD   
**Pairings:** Bridge/Syd, one-sided Sky/Syd  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Word Count:** 963  
**Disclaimer:** _Power Rangers SPD_ belongs to Disney. I only own the plot.  
**Note:** Writing is _so_ therapeutic.  
**Warnings:** None.   
**Summary:** Bridge Carson hates lying, but that is what he has been doing for months, just to keep appearances up.

* * *

Bridge Carson often feels grateful that he has great talent in the acting department, because it helps him keep appearances up. 

Bridge is really smart - everyone knows that; in fact, it might just be the only thing he lets filter through his mask. Even those who only know his random, crazy side can't deny that he is a mechanical genius whose expertise is an asset to SPD. He is also the SPD Green Ranger, protector of the Earth, spandex-clad superhero – everyone knows that too.

Okay, so that makes two apparent things.

But all the rest, everything that makes Bridge Carson who he is, is buried deep, deep down inside of him. Only his four teammates and friends, closer to him than even his parents are, can dig under the surface – and they are still discovering new layers to their wacky friend.

Despite all that, there is one thing he will not let anyone know about him.

Bridge Carson is in love. And Bridge Carson hates lying, but that is what he has been doing for months, just to keep appearances up.

It's because of his roommate that he has to keep lying, really, but he can't really blame him. It's not his fault. Some things just can't be controlled.

Sky Tate is not only his roommate, but also his best friend, and that is what makes things even harder for Bridge. 

The minute Sydney Drew walked through the door as their new teammate and he laid eyes on her, Sky fell for the pretty, famous blonde that longed to be known as something other than the gymnast, model and singer everyone saw her as. And he made it quite clear, too, that he wanted her. He made that statement in private in the confines of the room he shared with Bridge, of course, because Sky does not show any kind of emotion – one could believe this was part of the SPD regulations.

Sky Tate always gets what he wants, that is a known fact. Of course, the "always" can be discussed; after all, he did see the Red Ranger morpher pass right under his nose to end up in Jack Landors' hands. But other than that particular thing, Sky usually gets what he wants.

And he wants Sydney Drew.

Problem is, Bridge too wants Syd. And he is the one who's got the girl, for once. This is all happening secretly, because if Sky found out…

Bridge doesn't really remember when it started. He thinks it is right before they became Rangers. They had just got their butt kicked by some street thieves that would later become their teammates. Commander Cruger asked Sky to follow him out of the Command Center, probably to give him a serious talk. Kat dismissed the two other B-Squad cadets, and the pair decided to go for a walk in the park – they hadn't been assigned to anything in the afternoon, so they figured it was alright if they left academy grounds. They were really enjoying themselves, and somehow – the memory is kind of fuzzy in Bridge's head – they ended up kissing, and liking it. And Bridge found out that his attraction to Syd was just as requited.

That established, the pair was left at a loss of what to do. Sky had feelings for Syd, they both knew that. But that attraction… these feelings for each other… it was uncontrollable. Something kept drawing them to each other. Syd and Bridge agreed to meet in secret, and have been sneaking around ever since.

What goes on behind closed doors stays behind closed doors. They know it's wrong to act like that, but Sky would be so hurt he if found out that not only Sydney doesn't return his feelings, but that Bridge, his best friend, has swept her off her feet… A little voice in the back of Bridge's head tells him that the Blue Ranger's reaction would be so much bigger if he found out now than if they had come clean to him at the very beginning, but the Green Ranger usually tells that little voice to shut up and leave him alone, and then ignores it altogether.

So they keep lying and pretending and keeping up appearances. To the others, they are just close friends – best friends. To each other, they are much more than that – lovers. Syd keeps doing her thing; annoying the hell out of Sky who is secretly amused by her antics, trying to get Z to change her hair color, complaining about the academy's fluorescent lightning giving her headaches. Bridge keeps weirding the others out with random comments, is still attempting to hook a waffle iron to his computer without short-circuiting the whole system or setting his and Sky's room on fire, and he pretends to have a faint interest in Z, just so people won't find out where his heart truly lies.

But when they look at each other… Bridge can see the hickey he accidentally left on the left side of her neck, even though it is now covered with many layers of make-up, and he still hears the annoyed shout that left her mouth when she saw it in the mirror of her bathroom as she was putting on her lip gloss. Syd still feels his hands all over her and knows that in the small of his back there are ten indentations from when she dug her nails into his skin.

When their eyes meet, they remember their last meeting, and are already looking forward to the next, anticipation building up within them. 

Then they put their game faces back on and things go back to usual, oblivious to the fact that a Red Ranger is watching them with a sparkle of realization in his eye.


End file.
